Whistleblowing and scientific misconduct: Renewing legal and virtue ethics foundations

Medicine and Law

Volumn 26, Issue 3, 2007, Pages 567-584

  Faunce, Thomas Alured ^a   Jefferys, Susannah ^a  

^a AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY   (Australia)

Author keywords

Bioethics; Conscience; Corporate globalisation; Human rights; Research ethics; Scientific misconduct; Virtue ethics; Whistleblowers

Indexed keywords

ARTICLE; BIOETHICS; HUMAN RIGHTS; JURISPRUDENCE; LAW; LEGAL ASPECT; MOTIVATION; POLICY; RESEARCH ETHICS; SCIENTIFIC MISCONDUCT;

BIOETHICS; HUMAN RIGHTS; HUMANS; ORGANIZATIONAL POLICY; SCIENTIFIC MISCONDUCT; UNITED NATIONS; UNITED STATES; WHISTLEBLOWING;

EID: 35448929490     PISSN: 07231393     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: None     Document Type: Article

References (74)

1. Zipparo, L (1999) 'Factors which deter public officials from reporting corruption,' Crime, Law & Social Change 30, pp. 273-287, at p. 273-4.
2. In Australia: Crimes Act 1900 (ACT), Criminal Code 2002 (ACT), Protective Disclosures Act 1994 (NSW), Whistleblowers Protection Act 1994 (QLD), Whistleblowers Protection Act 2001 (VIC), Whistleblowers Protection Act 1993 (SA). In the United Kingdom: Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 (PIDA). In the United States: Constitutional Protection- Under the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution, state and local government officials are prohibited from retaliating against whistleblowers. Environmental Laws- Employee protection provisions of the Toxic Substances Control Act [15 U.S.C. 2622], the Superfund [42 U.S.C. 9610], the Water Pollution Control Act [33 U.S.C. 1367], the Solid Waste Disposal Act [42 U.S.C. 6971], the Clean Air Act [42 U.S.C. 7622], the Atomic Energy and Energy Reorganization Acts [42 U.S.C. 5851], and the Safe Drinking Water Act [42 U.S.C. 300j-9], contain whistleblower provisions which protect employees who disclose potential violations of these environmental laws. False Claims Act- The whistleblower protection provision of the False Claims Act [33 U.S.C. 3730(h)] is extremely liberal and protects "any employee" who is discharged or discriminated against on the basis of assisting in the preparation of litigation or in filing an action under this Act For further information please see: Hall, David and Davies, Steve (December, 1999) 'Corruption and whistle-blowing - a background note for TUAC,' available at: [Accessed, 10 March 2007].
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4. Cooper, T (1998) The Responsible Administrator (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 4th ed.).
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8. Zipparo, L (1999) 'Factors which deter public officials from reporting corruption,' Crime, Law & Social Change 30, pp. 273 -287, at p. 273-4.
9. See also: Miceli, NT, Roach, BP and Near, J (1988) 'The motivations of anonymous whistleblowers: The case of federal employees,' Public Personnel Management, 17, pp. 281-296
10. Gorta, A and Forell, S (1994) Unravelling Corruption - A Public Sector Perspective. (Sydney: Independent Commission Against Corruption.)
11. Miceli, MP and Near J (1989) 'The Incidence of Wrongdoing, Whistle-Blowing, and Retaliation: Results of a Naturally Occurring Field Experiment,' Vol. 2 Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal 2, pp. 91 - 108, at p. 101
12. and Gorta, A and Forell, S (1994) Unravelling Corruption - A Public Sector Perspective. (Sydney: Independent Commission Against Corruption.) at p. 137.
13. Miceli, MP and Near J (1989) 'The Incidence of Wrongdoing, Whistle-Blowing, and Retaliation: Results of a Naturally Occurring Field Experiment,' Vol. 2 Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal 2,pp.91-108, at p. 101
14. and see: Near, JP and Miceli, MP (1986) 'Retaliation Against Whistle Blowers: Predictors and Effects,' Journal of Applied Psychology, 71(1), pp. 137-145.
15. There may also be many financial disincentives and stresses, see: Edwards, D (2001) 'Personal Experiences: Whistleblower,' in Lock S, Wells F and Farthing M (eds.) (3rd Edition) Fraud and Misconduct in Biomedical Research (London: BMJ Publishing Group) at p. 209 and 214.
16. Faunce, TA (2004) 'Developing and teaching the virtue-ethics foundations of healthcare whistle blowing,' Vol. 23 Monash Bioethics Review No. 4, pp. 41-55, at p. 41
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31. Rhodes Rand Strain JJ (2004) 'Whistleblowing in Academic Medicine,' Journal of Medical Ethics 30, pp. 35-39, at p. 38.
32. Editorial (25 November 2005) 'Study Shows Bioethics Awareness Lacking,' Dong-A llbo (East Asia Daily, Seoul). Accessed 20 March 2007.
33. Garcetti et al. v Ceballos, 547 U.S. 5-14 (2006), (hereinafter Garcetti) per Kennedy J, Roberts CJ, Scalia, Thomas and Alito JJ.
34. Garcetti, at 10, per Kennedy J, Roberts CJ, Scalia, Thomas and Alito JJ.
35. Ibid.
36. Garcetti, at 12, per Kennedy J, Roberts CJ, Scalia, Thomas and Alito JJ.
37. Ibid.
38. Garcetti, at 1, per Stevens J.
39. Okie, S (17 March 2005), 'What Ails the FDA?' New England Journal of Medicine 352; 11, 1063 at 1066. Available at: Accessed 1 June 2007.
40. Garcetti, at 13, per Kennedy J, Roberts C.J., Scalia, Thomas and Alito JJ.
41. Garcetti, at 13-14, per Kennedy J, Roberts CI, Scalia, Thomas and Alito JJ.
42. See: Edwards, D (2001) 'Personal Experiences: Whistleblower,' in Lock S, Wells F and Farthing M (eds.) (3rd Edition) Fraud and Misconduct in Biomedical Research (London: BMJ Publishing Group), pp. 207-215
43. and see: Rees LH (2001) 'Fraud and Misconduct in Medical Research: Prevention,' in Lock S, Wells F and Farthing M (eds.) (3rd Edition) Fraud and Misconduct in Biomedical Research (London: BMJ Publishing Group), pp. 225-243.
44. For example, in the case of Givhan, where the teacher would not have qualified as a whistleblower as she was fired after a private conversation with the school principle: See Garcetti, at 14, per Souter J (dissenting).
45. Garcetti, at 14, per Souter J (dissenting).
46. Garcetti, at 15, per Souter J (dissenting).
47. Garcetti, at 3, per Breyer J (dissenting).
48. Ibid.
49. Ibid.
50. Garcetti, at 4, per Breyer J (dissenting).
51. Garcetti, at 12, per Souter J (dissenting).
52. Garcetti, at 13, per Kennedy J, Roberts C.J., Scalia, Thomas, and Alito JJ..
53. For the full text of the bill, go to: Accessed 19 March 2007.
54. Waxman, HA (2007) 'Bill Summary: The Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2007,' Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Washington D.C. Available at: Accessed 25 March 2007.
55. See Ibid.
56. Chong S et al. (2006) 'Stem Cells: How Young Korean Researchers Helped Unearth a Scandal...' 311 Science, at p. 22.
57. Couzin, J (6 January 2006) 'Stem Cells ... And How the Problems Eluded Peer Reviewers and Editors,' Science, vol. 311, at p. 23.
58. Chong S et al. (2006) 'Stem Cells: How Young Korean Researchers Helped Unearth a Scandal...' 311 Science, at p. 22.
59. Ibid.
60. Ibid.
61. Ibid. at p. 22-23.
62. He was often described as a 'god-like' figure in South Korea who enjoyed honours that not bestowed upon Nobel Prize winners, see Song, Sang-yong (2006) 'The Rise and Fall of Embryonic Stem Cell Research in Korea,' Asia Biotechnology and Development Review, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 65-67, at p. 67
63. and Ibid, at p. 23.
64. The Biological Research Information Center (BRIC).
65. Weiss, R (24 December 2005) Washington Post, at p. A2.
66. See also Cho, MK et al. (2006) 'Research Conduct: Lessons of the Stem Cell Scandal,' Science 311, at p. 614-615.
67. Cho, MK et al. (2006) 'Research Conduct: Lessons of the Stem Cell Scandal,' Science 311, at p. 614.
68. Institute of Medicine (2002), National Research Council, Integrity in Scientific Research (Washington D.C.: National Academies Press), quoted in Ibid.
69. The Korean Government reportedly provided Hwang's laboratory with upwards of $65 million, earmarking over $25 million for a single year: Cho, MK et al. (2006) 'Research Conduct: Lessons of the Stem Cell Scandal,' Science 311, at p. 614.
70. Bioethics and Biosafety Act, Act no. 7150, Korean National Assembly, passed 2003, effective date: 1 January 2005.
71. Song, Sang-yong (2006) 'The Rise and Fall of Embryonic Stem Cell Research in Korea,' Asia Biotechnology and Development Review, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 65-67, at p. 67.
72. Editorial (25 November 2005) 'Study Shows Bioethics Awareness Lacking,' Dong-Allbo (East Asia Daily, Seoul). Accessed 20 March 2007
73. University of Melbourne, Division of Hurnan resources. Whistleblower Protection Policy. Available at: http://www.hr.unimelb.edu.au/ advicesupport/whistleblowers. Accessed 12 June 2007.
74. See, Keys, MM, (2006) Aquinas, Aristotle, and the Promise of the Common Good, (Cambridge: Carnbridge University Press), p. 27.